Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Nemouria

Abstract

The Florida applesnail, Pomacea paludosa (Say, 1829), inhabits freshwater rivers, lakes, and wetlands of the southeastern United States and Cuba, where it is prey to several species of birds, reptiles, and fish, particularly the snail kite, limpkin, American alligator, and redear sunfish. It has additionally been a staple in the diet of several native human populations. Introduction of exotic aquatic vegetation and the management practices of the 1900s have impacted the availability of P. paludosa to its predators, some of which are listed on federal and state registries of species that are endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Its association with the snail kite, limpkin, and Everglades has marked it by federal and state biologists as a species in great need of study. The present work is a bibliography of 673 annotated works on the Florida applesnail through 1999, 175 yr since its original description in 1824 by Thomas Say. The works are mostly primary and secondary literature, but some are fiction, videotapes, stamps, and commercial artwork, including one sculpture. Newspaper articles and websites are excluded. Early publications dealt with taxonomy, distribution, and the observations of naturalists. More recent documents, including many unpublished agency reports, have focused on ecological studies, particularly with regard to the management and restoration of wetlands and to the population biology of the snail kite. An early impediment to our knowledge of applesnail biology was the tendency of naturalists of the 1700s and 1800s to visit Florida during winter, a season when both mosquitoes and applesnails are less active. A more recent impediment has been the use of specimens of uncertain or incorrect identity from the aquarium trade for descriptive and experimental studies in laboratories around the world.

First Page

1

Last Page

188

Publication Date

12-1-2004

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